Audit the Heart
by Nomnivore
Summary: Shiki, an auditor for the reaper dispatch, finds herself auditing a series of deaths that were not on the to die list. This event causes her to examine her own heart to feelings she has for a dispatch leader. William x OC
1. Chapter 1

Audit the Heart

Chapter 1

_Just a few notes: This is kind of following the manga with a little bit of my interpretation put in there. I have no idea what the reaper world looks like so I made that shit up. If you hate it, I'm sorry. Please find it in your vast heart to forgive me._

The office was bustling with many reapers as Grell walked to the office of his superior. The dark haired male didn't bother to look up.

"William! I'm bored! Let's get some food!" Grell whined. William looked up at him, a blank look perpetually on his face. The red haired reaper has been a thorn in his side since the day of their reaper exam together.

"Lunch is not scheduled until 1:30." Was the frustrated response the red haired reaper received. Such a bored response caused Grell to pout.

"Your so boring Will!" Grell scoffed. He didn't know if he could consider Will a friend, but he did feel a bond with the annoyingly cold man. Not many would notice the subtle changes in the dark haired reaper.

When she started working in the Audit Department, William would sidetrack his normal routes to walk by her office. Sometimes she would be standing and pacing as she went over reports with her subordinates. At lunch he would sit out in the courtyard that her office looked out on. She would frequently eat lunch there as well. When she would come into the office on the rare occasion, he would very subtly watch her. A quick glance here and there would not be noticeable to most. But Grell was the master of love. He saw all the things that signaled the man's attraction to the small woman.

"You just want to look at Miss Minamoto, don't you?!" Grell accused as he points a finger at William. "Your attraction to her is obvious!" The reaper flinched slightly as his face took on color. William continued to write, trying to focus harder so the nuisance would go away.

Shikigami Minamoto, mostly known as Shiki, was an interesting reaper. Her file stated that she liked reading and chess. The reaper rarely associated with her subordinates. She lived in district three of the residential district. As second in charge of the Audit Department, her work frequently ruled her life. She had eyes that were the standard green and yellow for a reaper. The photo in her file shows a young girl with square white plastic frames on her face. Her long dusty chestnut hair was typically tied up in an elegant bun. She usual attire was a black pencil skirt and a matching corset. Under the corset was a white button up shirt. The collar of the button up was tied with a red ribbon. Her black tights and high heals added to her daily ensemble to evoke professionalism.

"Don't make such ridiculous assumptions." William scoffed, although his face was still dusted with a tint of red. He must be easy to read if that moron could see through him.

"You should just ask her out instead of watching from a distance like a creep." Grell skipped straight to the point. "But then again, there is something tragically romantic about the situation."

"That is not your business." Will wished the red headed nuisance would just leave. He was going to get behind in his reports.

"It is when you change around the day just so you can look at her. If you don't act quickly she will get snatched up by some other guy." Grell reasoned with his superior. "I saw Ronald talking to her yesterday at lunch. He was being rather flirtatious."

William gave no indication of being bothered until Ronald's name was brought up.

"Knox won't have time to take girls out when I'm done with him." The superior muttered, already making a list for the reaper. Who does he think he is? There is so much work to do and he is off gallivanting around.

"Ah-hah! So you do have a crush on her! I'll help you ask her out!" Grell wiggled in victory. Will averted his eyes from Grell's odd display of excitement. Perhaps assistance would be beneficial.

"If you do anything embarrassing, I will end you." He threatened.

"You can count on me!" The red headed reaper shouted as he pranced from the office.

When the room was silent again, William put his head down on the desk, making a light thump. "What did I just agree to?" He muttered.


	2. Chapter 2

Audit the Heart

Chapter 2

Shiki sat in her office. Today was a day like many others. Looking over audit reports, the young reaper highlighted and made notes on the documents.

The small blonde leaned back in her chair and looked out the window. She had a corner office on the first floor of the audit building. The walls in the office were all glass. Sometimes she felt like a caged animal, but she had an amazing view of the courtyard. The view was worth the caged animal feel to her.

Standing, the reaper gathered her papers and started on her delivery route. Cecil, her boss and director of the audit department, would be looking over most of her reports. The rest would be going to her subordinates.

Her days were mostly the same routine. Get up and have a light breakfast. Exercise and practice with her death scythes. Shower. Report to work. Lunch. Work. Go home and cook dinner. Visit with the neighbors. Sleep. Repeat.

As a higher ranked member of the audit staff, she only got pulled into the more important audits. She enjoyed the more difficult audits, but there was something about being in the field, reaping souls, that she loved. As soon as she became a full-fledged reaper, Shiki put through a death scythe mod form so she could have her death scythe altered.

When it was approved, she chose to split it into to chakrems. The large, spiky, metal circles often were in a circular leather holder that sat at her lower back and onto her butt. Since she hadn't been reaping or auditing lately, the death scythes were left at her desk.

Shiki stepped from her office and into the common area. Desks were lined up in neat and orderly rows. Most of the personnel of the Audit Department were female with a few males scattered here and there. She could hear the chatter of some of the rookies at they took a break from their work.

Noticing her as she set some of her papers in a basket to be distributed throughout the department, one called out. "Miss Shiki!" It was Rem. "Come sit with us for a few minuets." The dark haired girl smiled at her superior. Blue cat eye lenses sat on her face as she smiled to her superior.

"I can only stay for a while. Cecil will be looking for his reports." Shiki smiled and sat down in the closest empty chair. The girls instantly resumed their chatter. Ronald Knox was a frequent topic of discussion.

"He's so cute! I think it's the hair."

"You would be all about him. He's a player. Be careful"

"I don't know, I think he's real sweet." The reaper zoned out to the sound of the happy chatter. She didn't feel the need to participate.

"Hey Shiki?" The noise of the chatter slowly died down and the small reaper jumped and looked toward Tabitha Heatherlee, a dark skinned reaper with a cute bob hairstyle. She wore round frames that moved slightly when she smiled, which was all too often.

"Sorry, I was just listening." She smiled politely and shifted her grip on her stack to reports. Socializing with the subordinates was not Shiki's favorite thing. They tended to gossip mostly, something that didn't interest the blonde.

"How come I never see you going out with a guy now and again? Your not secretly dating someone, are you?" Tabitha inquired. Shiki had known Tabitha for a long time. For some reason, the shorthaired reaper was set on setting her up with someone.

"Ah! No. I don't have time to think about that stuff." She smiled.

"Well you should. I've seen a bunch of guys checking you out. Your just so cute, they must be too shy to ask." Another reaper chimed in.

"We should hook you up with someone nice." Tabitha smiled, Shiki could see her mind making a list of the division's most eligible bachelors.

"You girls are too sweet. Don't worry about me." Shiki panicked, definitely not wanting to have this conversation. "I have to go and finish my deliveries." She stood up quickly. The sounds of the office door opening made the light haired reaper look up in time to see a man in red pass her.

"Very good work Shiki." The gentleman sitting in front of said reaper looked up. Cecil Strider was the reaper in charge of the Audit Division. The light poured in from the window behind him, reflecting off his messy golden locks. The girls in the Division called it "messy cute" hair. He shared the green yellow eyes that were characteristic of a reaper. They shined brightly behind his no line frames. He set the papers down in a neat stack, drawing her from her thoughts.

"Thank you sir, do you know when the next assignment will come through?" She asked, secretly eager to go to the human world and see the changes from the last decade she was there.

"The higher ups were chatting about audit season starting soon. I would bet most likely." His answer brought a smile to her face. She quickly replaced it with a neutral expression. "It's okay to get excited, I know you miss the field. You will get plenty of it as soon as it starts. "

"Is there anything I can help with now that the reports are done?" The light haired reaper stood, readying herself to leave.

"Now that you mention it, could you deliver these documents to the collections department? I just can't find the time to get it over there." Cecil passed her an envelope.

"Consider it done sir." Shiki bowed politely before leaving the office with the parcel for collections.

Shiki walked at her usual pace down the corridor passing her office as she went. The girls had finished their break and had since resumed their work.

Walking out the lobby door, Shiki looked around at the other buildings. The Collections building sat across the courtyard from the audit building. Shiki got to see most of the collections reapers due to the fact that the station that took the workers to the residential district was on the other side of the audit building. The two trains made several trips an hour to ensure all reapers got to work.

The reaper world was much like the human world. There were trees and plants in the courtyard and the sun shown in the sky between large clouds. Shiki enjoyed this courtyard. There were a few around the London Dispatch Reaper Campus, but this one held a special spot in her heart.

She crossed quickly and entered the Collections building. The small reaper waved to the old man diligently working in the shop near a training room. Pops, the resident glasses maker, spent most of his time making glasses for newly graduating recruits before they are sent to whichever division will take them. Shiki ducked through the halls to find him. His office was near the end of the hall. Voices could be heard from the other side of the door.

William sat in his chair, thankfully avoiding any annoying individuals as he continued his work. The clicking of heals could be heard from the hall that stopped outside his office door. Grell burst through the door and slammed it quickly behind him. A look of pure joy was on his face.

"William! Guess what?" Grell spun in one place.

"Does it matter? You're going to tell me anyway." The superior set his pen down to stare at the red headed nuisance.

"I went to Minamoto's office and asked her coworkers about her." He sang in joy. Will covered his face with his hand.

"What did you tell them?!" The anger was starting to break his clam demeanor. _'Great! Just great! Now her subordinates are going to tell her I'm a creep.'_

"I told them that I know someone who has a huge crush on her but doesn't know how to ask her out." Grell hugged himself. William released an internal sigh of relief. "They told me that her favorite flower is the Gardenia. Do you know what that flower represents?!" Grell's pitch was going up as the same rate as William's urge to kill.

"What does it mean? Tell me before I sentence you to an eternity of paperwork." William seethed hoping Grell would leave.

"Secret love." Grell answered as if it were the most obvious answer ever. "Well Romeo, I have one more thing to tell you. She's coming this way." Grell smiled with a wink and ran to the door. He opened it quickly and dodged around Shiki who appeared to be mid-knock.

She stood there in shock before lowering her hand to clutch the parcel she held for him.

"I'm sorry to disturb you Mr. Spears. Mr. Strider asked me to deliver this to you." Shiki smiled sweetly as William stood and maneuvered around the desk.

He quickly adjusted his glasses to hide a faint blush. She had never really spoken to him aside from the required work related matters. She did find him attractive, but she honestly didn't know much at all about the man.

"Ah. Thank you for going out of your way to bring this over." William took the parcel. He could help but admire her small soft hands when they grazed his. He stood for a moment, grasping for something to say to her.

"Your welcome, Mr. Spears." She bowed.

"William!" He called a little to loud, making the small girl jump. Her glasses slid down her nose slightly at the quick movement. "I mean, please call me William." He tried to compose himself.

"Alright William then if we are to be fair, call me Shiki. I had best be off. Have a lovely afternoon." She smiled while adjusting her white frames and left the room.

William turned to his desk and set the parcel down. "Now I look like a fool." He mumbled softly to himself before returning to work.


	3. Chapter 3

Audit the Heart

Chapter 3

He had seen her that evening as she sat to the train to the residential district. It was a rare evening for him to be able to leave on time. She sat with the grace of a lady, her dusty blond hair reflecting the light in the train car.

_Perhaps I should strike up a conversation. She looks a little lonely sitting by herself. _

The train lurched as they approached their first stop. She looked around but didn't notice him in the faceless crowd of reapers. He couldn't stop thinking about her. If only there was a way to see her more often. William didn't know her feelings on relationships with coworkers. Even if they didn't work in the same building, they still worked for the same business. Relationships were common in their line of business. Perhaps he could ask her if she had any dinner plans this evening? What if she did? Then he would look like a fool. Grell had told him that the girls in her office said she wasn't seeing anyone. Who knows if that information was reliable. The train lurched again at the second stop.

Maybe he could send her flowers and gauge her reaction. _Gardenias_. She loved gardenias. If she mentions a significant other, then he wouldn't look a fool when she receives them. If she doesn't, then he could come forward as the sender. The train lurched a third time and the small female he had been focusing on stood from her seat. Only as she exited did she see him. She smiled and bid him a good evening. The only reaction he could muster was a small wave.

Shiki sat on the train as it slowly made its way to the residential districts. It made eight stops in this district. She stood and exited at the third. William was on the train. She only saw him as he stood near the door of the train. He was very attractive but so very quiet. She didn't know what he was thinking on the few occasions they conversed. With a smile and a good evening to Mr. Spears, she stepped of the train.

Making her way from the station, she walked the streets toward her flat. Most reapers didn't get very exciting apartments unless they were a really big deal. As second of the audit department, she was able to comfortably afford her mid sized space. She passed a vendor and collected necessities to make herself dinner along with a lunch for the next day.

Not everyone in this world worked as a reaper. Most retired reapers took on support roles in the community. Despite popular belief, these support roles were considered very respectable for reapers to retire to. They mostly got better hours and pay. It was severely frowned upon to disrespect a support worker. She could not remember ever seeing a reaper address a support rudely. Shiki wondered what job she would take if she lived long enough to retire. Perhaps a restaurant would accept her in their kitchens. Maybe they would let her work in one of the great libraries.

The small reaper shook her head and smiled as she entered her building. Rupert, one of the retired reapers that worked in her building was mopping the floors to the lobby.

"Good evening Rupert." Shiki bowed politely. The older man smiled down at her as he paused in his work.

"Evenin' Miss Shiki. How was work?"

"Busy as usual. We are getting ready for audit season."

"My goodness that comes around fast." Rupert grimaced.

"I know what you mean. By the way, I bought a little extra from the shop this evening because they were some specials going on. I could package some up for you to have for tomorrow."

"I would love that. Thank you. Now you run along and take it easy."

"You have a lovely evening Rupert. I'll drop off lunch for you when I leave for work tomorrow."

"Alright. Now get going." He shooed her away so he could get back to work. She bowed again and made her way to the elevator. The blond stood alone in the small room as she ascended to her floor. Her floor was shared with three other flats. One of said flats belonged to Rupert. The other two belonged to a mid-level reaper named Ryo Sato and an accountant named Gin Nakamura. The two were nearly opposite, but strangely similar. Shiki felt grateful that she didn't have roundly neighbors. The new reaper recruits lived in a similar sized building. The major difference was that there were twenty rooms per floor instead of four. It left each reaper enough room for a bed and a desk if they were lucky.

With a soft chime, the small reaper exited the elevator and looked around. She saw that Gin's door was cracked open, signaling that he was home. The four occupants of the floor agreed that they would leave their doors cracked open if they were home. That way others could come socialize if they felt the desire.

"Good evening Gin." She called as she stepped toward her door. The tall quiet man exited his apartment. His messy dark hair was well kept during the day, but sat messily in the evening. His dark square frames shaped his angled face neatly and stood out against his pale features.

"How was your day?" He asked in a soft monotone. He was not an emotional person, but still good for a conversation when it struck his fancy. He must have been feeling down from his expression. He didn't smile a whole lot, but there was a difference from his usual expression.

"It was alright." She smiled and unlocked her door. "Want to come in while I make dinner?" He nodded. Gin wasn't a good cook to say the least. _Must be hungry._ She stifled a giggle.

She made Gin some tea and started unpacking her groceries as he took a seat in the other side of the counter.

"You seem angry, something wrong?" Shiki didn't look up from her work.

"Hm?" He must have been mid thought as his face took on some color from what she would assume to be embarrassment. "Apologies. People are getting shuffled around again in Accounting. It's creating extra work." He explained.

"At least you got off on time. I assume." She finished chopping her meat and vegetables as she listened to him. For someone so quiet, he is pretty talkative. When her food was near done, she heard the elevator open. Ryo's wild hair came into view as he stepped from the doorway. The brunette was taller than Shiki, but a few inches shorted than Gin. His suit was wrinkly as his tie hung loosely from his neck.

"Welcome back Ryo." Shiki called from her spot. The brunette turned and gave her a grin before waltzing into her apartment.

"Hey! Damn, it smells good in here. Why aren't we married yet Shiki?" He smiled cheesy and plopped down next to Gin at the counter.

"She would never agree to marry an oaf like you." Gin spoke softly as he held his tea.

"Sure she does! Right Shik?!" He look as her with his big puppy eyes. The small blond could help but notice the slight pleading tone his voice took on when he asked.

"Of course. Right after I marry Rupert and Gin." She laughed, not looking up from the rice she was preparing to see Gin give his friend a triumphant look.

"Hey! Don't be gloating! She said the old man's name first." Ryo caught the other man in a headlock.

The three shared dinner happily in her apartment. Afterward, the two men left for their respective flats for the evening. Shiki was glad to have such good people living on her floor. It was their own little community. The four of them lived very well together. She looked around her flat. Both men had insisted on hanging around to help her clean. Now she didn't have anything to do. She stood in front of her living room window and observed the residential district before deciding to open up one of her books to read for the remainder of the evening.

Shiki arrived at work the next day after delivering Rupert's lunch to find a vase of flowers on her desk. There was no card. But the gardenias were absolutely beautiful. The small auditor stepped out of her office to see if the girls knew anything about the arrangement of flowers.

"I'm sorry Miss Shiki, they were there this morning before I got here. It didn't have a sender on it?" Rem frowned; disappointed that she didn't know whom the sender was.

"I'm afraid not. I would really like to thank whomever brought me these." The reaper sighed. Whoever brought these really wished to remain unknown.

"Shiki, I guess you have a secret admirer." Tabitha smiled. "I wonder if he will send anything else."

The day went on as usual, the girls were all abuzz trying to guess who sent the flowers. Shiki had placed them on her desk near her. If that person saw, then perhaps they will see how much she loved their gift.

Attributing to the unusual day, William stopped by. He brought his divisions reports for audit season. Usually, he sent one of his subordinates. The quiet reaper stepped into her office. He knocked softly on her open door to gain her attention.

"Hello William. Please, come in." Shiki smiled and gestured for the male to set his paperwork down somewhere. He set the papers down on her desk.

"Thank you for bringing these over so quickly, it makes getting ready for next week that much easier." Shiki started paging through what the man brought her. He wouldn't tell her that he put in countless hours of overtime to have this done for her.

"Those are beautiful." He spoke, gazing at the white flowers on her desk.

"They are my favorite. I wish I knew who sent them." She frowned as she touched the soft petals.

"Your boyfriend or husband didn't send them?" He asked. William could feel his insides tightening. He wasn't a home wrecker but something deep down made him want to bring her joy. Perhaps he would pursue her if she had a boyfriend.

She laughed a little. "Nope. I would need a boyfriend first before he could send flowers." William subdued his inner joy.

He gave her a light smile "They suit you." Her face flushed at his compliment.

"Thank you." Her insides were churning.

"Perhaps we-" "Excuse me! Sorry to interrupt. There is a real problem with these figures Shiki! Oh my goodness I'm sorry for barging in!" Rem ran into Shiki's office, cutting William off in the process.

"Okay, I'll take a look at them." Shiki dismissed her subordinate. She gave an apologetic smile to William before continuing. "What were you saying? I'm so sorry. Rem doesn't pay a lot of attention to those things."

William nodded, losing his nerve. "Don't worry about it. It's not important." With a sweet smile, he bid her a good afternoon before leaving her office.

One week later, audit season started. The department was in pure chaos. Shiki was on the way to see Cecil for an assignment that came up. She knocked twice and entered when called.

Cecil turned in his chair. In his hand were some of the documents from the collections department. "Hello Shiki. I have some work for you."

"I'm ready." She stood at attention, awaiting her fate.

"Good. We have been looking through the records for the London dispatch and as you know from what Rem found that there have been many individuals dying that were not on the 'to die' list. Please look over these records and report. The higher ups will not like this. Please investigate and report your results to me." He handed her a small folder and she was quickly dismissed to start her project.

Shiki sat down in her office to look at the records. It appears that these women were all in the same profession. These deaths have been taking place for a long time. The small reaper was having trouble with keeping tally of the deaths.

Shiki finished reading and left with her death scythe to the great library. The report stated that the deaths were happening around multiple districts, she needed to find the first. If she could do that, then she could probably find out what reapers were assigned to that district. Perhaps one of them saw something unusual.

She sat at the table with several books. Each book was a record of a deceased woman not on the 'to die' list. She was trying to find similarities in the records. They were all ladies of the night, not new. They didn't even work in the same areas of London, let alone know each other. Shiki paused as she flipped through one of the books. The hospital name looked familiar. Scooting over to another book, she found mention of that same hospital. Perhaps someone is spotting them near the hospital and picking them off. But they were at the hospital for the same reason. All of them saw the same doctor. Shiki stood and walked through the isles, looking for one book in particular, Angelina Dalles. If this woman was seeing all these women, then the murderer is near her. If she were the one killing them, then they would occur on the 'to die' list normally.

The small reaper stopped and scoured the shelves, even checking behind to see if it fell somewhere. Not able to find it, she sought out a member of the library staff.

"Excuse me, I can't locate a record." She smiled at the older woman. The woman nodded and opened a large book on her counter. It was a record of the ins and outs of the books located in the London library.

"What book?" She looked through her thick lenses.

"I am looking for Angelina Dalles." The small reaper spoke already expecting the answer.

The older woman flipped through her pages to locate Mrs. Dalles' record. "The book was never checked out."

"Do you know if any one has been lurking around?" Shiki didn't feel right about this. She had a sneaking feeling that someone took Angelina Dalles' record. Whatever is in that book must be the answer.

"No, I haven't seen anyone of suspicion. I'm sorry." The elder woman frowned in disappointment.

"Don't worry! I'll find my answer elsewhere." She bowed and exited the library. Her next destination was for William's office. The reapers he managed were dispatched near that hospital. Perhaps he may know something.


	4. Chapter 4

Audit the Heart

Chapter 4

Grell stomped about. He was sulking and fuming at the same time. "I can't believe you got the nerve to ask her out, then chickened out at the moment of truth!"

"This is not your business Grell." The brunette sighed. He was not pleased either. The red head did not have to rub it in.

"Love is my business! You should talk to her again!" The flamboyant man wiggled with glee. He would not tell William that he was already imagining what his children would look like with Shiki. The answer, positively adorable.

"Not your business. You are on the clock Grell. I expect you to be working. Not diddling about. Unless you want unpaid overtime." At William's words, the red head scoffed and stormed from the room in the manner the superior was accustomed to. A familiar blonde plastered himself to the wall to avoid the fuming Grell.

"Your shift doesn't start for another few hours Ronald." William turned back to his work. He heard Ronald shift.

"Yeah, well I am going out with one of the girls in accounting tonight, so I thought I would get a head start on my reports before going out to reap some souls." Ronald gave his superior his signature roguish smile. William was perplexed as to how many women the reaper was seeing at one time.

"Yes, well, get to work. I don't want to get stuck with overtime covering for your mistakes." William nodded toward a stack of papers meant for Ronald. He would not admit that he had been adding small amounts of extra work to the young reapers pile every time someone mentioned his pursuance of Shiki. Even if it were not true, work is still getting done.

A soft knock echoed through the room. Both males turned to the door, curious to know the identity of the newcomer. "Enter." William called.

"Hello Miss Minamoto, you look real lovely today." William seethed at the sound of his subordinate complement his love interest. Wait? Love? The man froze in place at his own thoughts, only to be broken by the sweet noise of her laugh. Ronald must have said something humorous. William had known the reaper for a long time, and he knew what Knox was doing.

"Mr. Knox, since you are here and have time to talk, I need you to finish your quarterly reports as well." William tried to hold back a triumphant look as his subordinate nodded sadly with a salute. He bid Shiki goodbye to get his reports done.

William stood and stepped around his desk. "What may I do for you Shiki?" He saw her clutching a file.

Shiki looked up at the man. "We have a problem. I think I am going to need your help." She said only once she was sure the door was closed and no one around could hear. She didn't want the perpetrator to know she was on to them.

"Anything. Please, have a seat." William held his anxiety in as she seated herself on the couch in his office. "What is the matter?"

"It has come to the attention of the auditing department heads that someone is working outside the 'to die' list. There is a group of people being murdered before their designated time. I have begun an investigation and have come to a standstill. I was hoping for your assistance in finding our culprit." She explained softly. "I have found that the victims share a common integration with a singular person before they were reaped. When I went to search the records of said individual, the record was missing. When I spoke with a worker in the great library, the record was still checked in. I have come to believe that someone has this record to keep their identity secret as the killer."

William sat there, contemplating her words. "So there is no way to find out who is next because we don't know who she saw."

"Correct. These women do not share any other similarities other than their profession."

William cocked his head to the side slightly. "Profession?"

Shiki's face took on some color at the question. "Prostitution."

"Ah!" William nodded, starting to understand the situation. "Well to start, we should narrow down the deaths and figure out who received transport to the human world that day." Shiki took the opportunity to produce a list of names and dates. William looked down at the dates and stood to compare them to his logs.

"My apologies, this does not do much to narrow down your list. I can maybe cut your list down to ten or so members of the dispatch team." William sighed as he wrote down the small list of people.

"Don't worry William. That's more than enough." She smiled at him and took his list.

William leaned forward. "What are you going to do now?"

"Head to the human world to do some searching around. Perhaps I can find the records owner. Maybe reaper will be near her." Shiki tried to sound optimistic. She knew the likelihood of finding a lost record.

"Allow me to come with you. If it is someone acting outside of protocol in my department, I want to know about it." William took his spear and looked at Shiki expectedly.

She laughed at the man's expression. "How could I turn down such willing help? Thank you. I was planning on leaving after we spoke. Please allow me to issue some orders to my subordinates before we leave."

William nodded. And started for the door after Shiki. "I will meet you at the gate." He couldn't believe it; she was going on a mission with him. Surly he could get an opportunity to ask her out while in the human realm.

She left his office with a nod. "I won't keep you long."

William stood at the gate. Many figures were coming and going, but he only held interest in one. Her familiar shape came into view. Her attire changed only slightly. As an auditor, she needed to wear her auditor armband in the human realm. She smiled up at him. "Ready." she called.

"Let's get going then." William gestured for her to pass through the gate. The other side had platforms with archaic markings. They were circular and fairly large in diameter.

"Where to Miss?" A guide asked Shiki.

She looked around at all the panels "Transport to district 4, please."

The man gestured for the two to step on a panel a ways back on the line. He stopped and stood next to her. It was only then that he realized that he had a whole head on her in height. "Shikigami Minamoto, requesting level seven audit transport clearance for district four." She called out clearly.

"William Spears, requesting level five collections transport clearance. Purpose of audit support." William called out next to her. The two held a similar rank within the reaper society. But when she was auditing, Shiki outranked 90% of the field reapers.

The man nodded, "Granted." The world started to blur and haze from Shiki's vision. Sound started to fade as well. The ground left her feet. She felt like she was floating in the darkness. Shiki could see William's form floating near her. She saw the last of the light fade away as the world around her turned black. A voice reverberated around her.

"Requesting transport confirmation. Destination: District 4. Travelers: Shikigami Minamoto and William Spears." the voice called.

"Confirmed." She called

"Confirmed." William answered.

"Approved, prepare for drop." The voice answered. The sensation of falling overtook the two reapers. Light entered Shiki's field of vision as she fell toward the city below. She noticed William send her a glance or two. Shiki rolled her body as the lights grew closer. She landed soundless on the roof of one of the many London buildings in District Four. William landed in a crouch next to her before standing to his full height.

"Where to start?" Shiki turned at the sound of his voice to see him examining her.

"At the beginning. Let's go to the hospital to find Angelina." Shiki walked to the edge of the roof to look around.


	5. Chapter 5

_I'm not dead._

_Love, _

_Me_

Audit the Heart

Chapter 5

People were running around in the hospital, all mindful of their own work. Shiki slipped through with William in tow.

The pair stopped by a board showing what floor was to each department. Shiki looked through the list. "Here" She pointed to the department for planning parenthood.

"Okay. Let's find her." William took Shiki's hand to pull her into an elevator. She understood that it was for them to catch the moving room before the doors closed, but she still flushed at the contact.

"William." She whispered. No one could hear them in the elevator.

"Hm?" He looked down at her. His face held a soft look. She couldn't help staring at his yellow and green eyes. For someone so stern, he seemed so soft and genial when he looked at her.

"Ah, my hand." She shifted, embarrassed. He noticed the contact and quickly released her.

The reaper adjusted his glasses to hide his blush. "My apologies." The elevator dings and the door opens. People entered and left before the door closed again. Space was now tight. People couldn't feel reapers unless the reaper deemed it, but reapers could feel people. Shiki bumped into her male companion. He caught her in his arms to keep her from falling. Both averted their eyes as their bodies were pressed together.

Shiki couldn't help but notice how solid his body was. She found herself distracted by the feeling only to be pulled to reality by the sound of a bell and people moving around. This was their floor. The two stepped from the elevator to look around. The eyes of a reaper could see names above every individual. It assisted them in finding their mark for the to die list. "Let's split up and search around. Perhaps she is visiting a patient." Shiki suggested. William nodded and started off in the direction that was opposite of her own. He frankly needed to clear his head. He tried so hard to make sure she wasn't aware of how happy he was at their proximity.

Shiki padded around, listening to people call out each other's names or converse. No one spoke the name she was looking for. Giving up on observing, she turned to walk behind one of the desks. Surely they would have some sort of schedule. Without any luck she searched around until she found William. "Did you find her?" She asked, already knowing the answer by his expression. He shook his head.

"Perhaps we should check again tomorrow?" He asked. Shiki agreed that she would have to check around the next day. Perhaps it was the doctor's day off.

"Yeah, I just want to find our killer before he or she kills too many others." She muttered as the duo stepped bank into the elevator. She nodded at other reapers coming and going from the hospital. They were completing their portions of the to die list here. Some reapers liked working this section of the city. It was a cushy job. They could find all of their to die listers in one place.

"If I remember, there is a hotel in this district that can provide rooms for working reapers. We should probably set up a base there while you are auditing." William spoke as the two exited the hospital.

"I suppose that would be best." Shiki nodded. It took them a few blocks before a hotel came into view. It appeared as a hotel to the humans. But on the front window was a mark only reapers saw. The ouroboros, a symbol of infinity, was depicted as a dragon eating its own tail was painted in a small corner of the front door.

The two walked in casually, a bell announced their presence. "Welcome." An older woman called to the duo.

Shiki bowed politely. "Good evening ma'am. I am Shikigami Minamoto. The gentleman with me is William Spears. We are seeking two rooms for at least the week." William bowed when he was introduced.

"Of course. Can I get your reaper numbers to submit for your expense reports?" She pulled out a form and started filling out the required information. Shiki filled out her portion of the form along with William.

After looking at the forms she stepped back at a key ring holder. The back of the holder was a fake and pulled out as a drawer. She took two keys and handed one to each of them. "I will mail the receipts to your respective offices for your reports. Please let me know if you would like to extend your stay."

The two reapers bowed and walked up the stairs. Their rooms sat next to one another. William seemed hesitant to say goodbye to her. "Are you hungry at all?" He blurted out as she was about bid him goodnight.

"Ah! A little. Would you like to have dinner?" She smiled up at him. He nodded stiffly, a look of firm determination plastered on his face. "How about I make dinner for the both of us?" She asked. He paused, stunned at the idea of a home cooked meal.

"You would cook for me?" His face flushed, causing hers to color at well.

"Of course. I wonder if these rooms have kitchens." Shiki laughed and invited William in. To their luck, there was a stove and a small counter. Shiki quickly went down the street to pick of some food ingredients. When she purchased her materials, Shiki turned to bump into a large form.

A smooth voice was heard as two large hands held her steady. "Please excuse me, I didn't mean to bump into you." Shiki looked up into red eyes. This man was a demon.

"Not at all sir. I wasn't paying attention." Shiki smiled a genuine smile. This seemed to have taken him aback. Shiki knew that many reapers had a firm distaste for demons. She didn't mind them. No demon has personally wronged her during her existence.

"If I am not being too forward, may I inquire as to what a reaper is doing buying groceries in the market?" His smooth voice was soothing. He was beautiful. Shiki compared the beauty of demons to that of reapers. Little did she know that he was thinking similarly of her.

She laughed lightly. "I'm here on business. I'm sorry Mr. Demon, I can not disclose confidential information." He smiled down at her.

"Please, my name is Sebastian Michaelis. May I ask yours, Miss reaper?" He found her mesmerizing, which was impressive due to the fact that the man did not care one bit for reapers.

"I'm Shikigami Minamoto." She politely offered her hand to shake his.

To her surprise, he took her hand gently and placed a kiss on top. "I had no idea that there were reapers in existence that didn't detest demons. I am pleasantly surprised. It's truly an honor to meet you Miss Minamoto."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Michaelis. I don't mean to be rude, but I need to start on dinner." She smiled. The demon nodded as stepped to the side.

"I hope our paths cross again, Miss Minamoto." He spoke before she left his range of hearing.

Shiki walked back into the hotel room to see William pouring some tea. "Welcome back, the hotel owner gave us some tea leaves. I'm not a good cook, but I can make tea." He smiled softly at her.

"Ah! Thank you so much. I'll get started on dinner." She accepted the cup of tea and started cutting meat and vegetables.

The two cooked and ate dinner. "Thank you. I don't get to eat home cooked food very often." William admitted.

Shiki laughed as she took his plate. "You order out often then?"

"Every night." He admonished guiltily.

Shiki pouted. "William! That's not good. Well! If you ever want something home cooked, come by my apartment and I'll make you something. Okay?"

William flushed. No one ever offered to make him food. He couldn't stop from daydreaming what it would be like to come home to Shiki every night. His daydream became more vivid when he imagined her in his arms, smiling and laughing as he buried his face in her neck.

"Are you okay, William?" She broke through his daydream.

"My apologies. My mind wandered." He stood to dust off imaginary dust. "I may take you up on your offer. I suppose I should leave you for the evening."

"Okay, we will start again tomorrow morning." Shiki escorted the male reaper to the door. "Have a good night, William."

"Good evening, Shiki." William hesitated for a moment before choosing to bow and leave the room to return to his own room.


	6. Chapter 6

Audit the Heart

Chapter 6

The sound of pounding on her hotel room door woke Shiki. The small reaper stood from her bed and padded over to her door in her slip.

"Yes?" She looked out the peephole to see William outside.

"It's urgent." He muttered, looking disheveled. Shiki quickly opened the door without hesitation. As soon as she was in his sight he took her by the arms and slammed his lips down on hers. She was pushed against the wall of her room as the door softly clicked close.

"Wi-William." She sputtered as he gripped her under her legs to lift her up. He pinned her to the wall with his lower body. His excitement pressed firmly to her inner thigh.

"I have dreamt of this almost every night since the day we first spoke" she heard his husky voice whisper into her neck. Before she could respond, his mouth crashed back down on hers, not giving her a chance to speak as his tongue danced with hers. She ran her hands through his silky locks as she felt his hand move up her thigh underneath her slip.

Shiki shot out of bed. She could feel the heat radiating off her body. Was that real? She looked around; William was nowhere to be found. She sat up to look at the clock, there was no way she was getting back to sleep now.

Hours passed, Shiki had made herself a light breakfast and some coffee to tide herself over. She even had time to make something for William. A knock on her door startled her from watching the sunrise from her living room window. "It's me." William's familiar voice called from the hall.

"Please come in." She called. She tried to hide her embarrassment about her dream by hiding her face. "I made breakfast." She stood and started to reheat it. William worked at making tea.

"You look exhausted. Did you sleep alright?" William leaned in and examined her face. Shiki launched back at the proximity.

"Ah! Ye-yeah, I mean no, no I didn't sleep well." She sputtered. Her mind was clouded with her unbuttoning his already half unbuttoned shirt to run her nails down his chiseled chest.

He stepped closer to her once again "Are you unwell?" He persisted. "illness could reduce mission productivity."

"I'm fine!" She proceeded to create more of a distance to prevent the distracting thoughts.

He gave her an unconvinced look but decided not to push the issue. "Perhaps you should take it easy today?"

"I don't want our insubordinate reaper to get another woman." Shiki sighed. William nodded somberly. The two prepared for the day and proceeded to the hospital once again. William opted to watch from the outside while Shiki searched the inside. After an hour of looking through rooms and offices, She came across the red haired woman she was searching for.

"Mrs. Morgan, I'm going to head out early today. I have some things to do with my nephew." The red haired woman smiled brightly at an elderly nurse next to her. Shiki observed the conversation until she no longer found it useful.

The sound of a steady tone caught the female reapers attention. She turned to see an unfamiliar woman looking at her from a hospital bed. Her eyes showed fear as the world seemed to slow. Shiki walked closer to the woman. She had eyes and hair like warm honey. In human years, she couldn't be too old by Shiki's observations. "Am I dying?" She whispered hoarsely as nurses and doctors frantically rushed around the two as if they were moving in molasses.

Shiki stared for a moment longer. "Everyone is dying." It was a fact. Shiki didn't get much opportunity to talk with the living. This was strange to her.

The woman panicked when Shiki was close enough that her unusual eyes could be seen. "Are you the grim reaper or a demon?"

Shiki could see the woman's desire to run and answered carefully as she sat at the foot of the bed. "I am a reaper, but you have nothing to fear. My job isn't to take souls." The woman looked around as people continued to move and get her pulse going again.

"A grim reaper that doesn't take souls." The woman mused to herself. "Are you sure I'm not dead? The monitor looks like it." Shiki could see the beginnings of tears forming in the woman's eyes.

Her gold and green eyes took on a softer look before she spoke. "Your day is not today, Sophie. You are currently experiencing the cusp of death. Hence, your ability to see me without my choosing. But when you go back to the living world, you won't see me anymore. Nor will you remember this conversation."

"How do you know my-" The world started to speed up again as the woman's eyes rolled back in her head. The monitor started to make beeping noises again, indicating a pulse. Shiki stood and moved away from the bed as the woman gained consciousness.

Shiki observed the woman coming back around to consciousness before turning around to see her subject of investigation was missing. With haste, she exited the building to regroup with William.

Outside, the small reaper observed that William was no longer at his post. He must be following her. Surely she wouldn't be dangerous during the day. With no way of knowing which way her nephew's house was, she returned to the hotel.


End file.
